As we do every year, in the spring and summer, our ground squirrel team captures ground squirrels at sites with stable populations and transports them to genetically poor or newly established sites.
This morning, 65 ground squirrels were captured and are currently being transported to sites in the White Carpathians and Podunajsko region.
It was interesting to watch our colleagues, led by Ervin, trapping the ground squirrels in a coordinated, fast and sensitive manner. They cut apples, “loaded” the live traps, harvested them and quickly transported the captured animals to the shelter.
The Bratislava airport has the largest European ground squirrel population in Slovakia, estimated at up to 15,000 individuals, so the animals can safely be used to supplement and strengthen populations elsewhere.
In the next few days, translocation will also take place on the Muránská plain, from where they will go to more genetically related locations in central Slovakia.
We are looking forward to these project activities. In addition to the restoration of grazing and the cleaning of meadows and pastures, this is another of the important activities in European ground squirrel conservation in Slovakia.